The Price of a Flawless Lie and the Family That Vanished
I took Harrison inside and sat in a booth near the back.
I pulled the black credit card from my purse.
The name *Elena Blackwood* was printed in silver letters.
I handed it to the young waitress.
She ran it through the machine, and the receipt printed with a sharp, scratching sound.
I signed it with a steady hand.
The digital breadcrumb was live.
I drove to Great Hope Park, a grassy bluff overlooking the rocky coast.
A gravel path wound along the edge of the cliffs, protected by a low wooden fence.
The wind was fierce, whipping my hair across my face.
I sat on a wooden bench near the playground.
I took out my burner phone and sent a short text to Lydia.
*I am at the park in Cape Neddick. The card was used.*
Lydia replied five minutes later.
*My contact says Julian just left his New York office. He is driving himself.*
My stomach twisted into a tight knot.
He was coming.
He couldn’t stand the thought of me escaping him.
I turned off the burner phone and slipped it into my pocket.